Bob Majerle
Newbie
20-second timeout: Penny for your thoughts
PHOENIX — When Penny Hardaway arrived in the desert four years ago, he was so excited with his fresh beginning in the NBA he got a new tattoo: "Part II, Heaven Cent," it read. Injuries, however, have undermined his return to star status with the Phoenix Suns; he has missed 126 of 313 games, including 24 this season with a thumb injury. Like Lil Penny, the popular puppet who starred with Hardaway in Nike commercials during his All-Star run in Orlando with Shaquille O'Neal, Hardaway, 31, is a star of the past. He talked to USA TODAY's Greg Boeck about where he has been — and where his game is headed. (Related item: 20-second timeout archive)
Penny Hardaway is eager to display the form that made him an All-Star in Orlando.
By Roy Dabner, AP
Q: How frustrating have your four seasons in Phoenix been?
A: Very frustrating. It just went negative. I played injured, and when I played injured I was wasn't at full strength. I couldn't perform at the level I could perform at. I was just a body. I lost respect from the media, my peers and the fans because they thought that was my game, but I was out there playing injured. That was probably the worst mistake I made. When you're dealing with your legs, it's not like you're dealing with a finger or wrist or an elbow. That was my game, using my quickness and leaping ability to get around people.
Q: Where do you see your game now?
A: I'm very healthy now. If I was on a team that needed scoring, I could be a 20-point-a-night scorer, easily. But I've turned myself into a role player here. With the Suns not knowing I was going to be healthy this year, they actually moved on. They gave Joe Johnson the starting position and drafted Casey Jacobson. They thought I was going to be done, retired. By the grace of God, I came back and kind of helped the team. They should be happy about that, but it doesn't put me in a spot to where I'm a go-to guy anymore. I'm like a fourth option.
Q: Is that hard?
A: It is, because I still have a lot of basketball to give to a team that really needs it. I don't feel like I'm a role player yet. I thought when I was 35, 36, if I wanted to keep playing, come in and be a role player, I could defer.
Q: What do you see in your future?
A: I have three years left on my contract. I'm hoping to win a championship here and retire here in Phoenix. If it doesn't happen, I'll go somewhere. On this team, I'm the fourth option, so you're not going to see the Penny that's capable. Stephon (Marbury) handles the ball 99% of the time. He's so good, nobody can stop him. That takes me totally out of the fold. When I was in Orlando, I handled the ball, everything came through me. If that doesn't change, I'll be a lost name on this team as far as being one of the headline players in this league, because Amare (Stoudemire) has come of age. Shawn Marion and Stephon are the ones they are promoting here, so it doesn't look like there's a lot of room for me to be a 20-point scorer again. I have all the confidence in the world I could be at the level, but it's not going to be noticed when you have three other people being promoted over you.
Q: So what's up with Lil Penny these days?
A: He's been chilling. Nike made a decision to not have Lil Penny anymore. A lot of people loved that. If that ever came out again, people would take to it even more so.
USA Today
PHOENIX — When Penny Hardaway arrived in the desert four years ago, he was so excited with his fresh beginning in the NBA he got a new tattoo: "Part II, Heaven Cent," it read. Injuries, however, have undermined his return to star status with the Phoenix Suns; he has missed 126 of 313 games, including 24 this season with a thumb injury. Like Lil Penny, the popular puppet who starred with Hardaway in Nike commercials during his All-Star run in Orlando with Shaquille O'Neal, Hardaway, 31, is a star of the past. He talked to USA TODAY's Greg Boeck about where he has been — and where his game is headed. (Related item: 20-second timeout archive)
Penny Hardaway is eager to display the form that made him an All-Star in Orlando.
By Roy Dabner, AP
Q: How frustrating have your four seasons in Phoenix been?
A: Very frustrating. It just went negative. I played injured, and when I played injured I was wasn't at full strength. I couldn't perform at the level I could perform at. I was just a body. I lost respect from the media, my peers and the fans because they thought that was my game, but I was out there playing injured. That was probably the worst mistake I made. When you're dealing with your legs, it's not like you're dealing with a finger or wrist or an elbow. That was my game, using my quickness and leaping ability to get around people.
Q: Where do you see your game now?
A: I'm very healthy now. If I was on a team that needed scoring, I could be a 20-point-a-night scorer, easily. But I've turned myself into a role player here. With the Suns not knowing I was going to be healthy this year, they actually moved on. They gave Joe Johnson the starting position and drafted Casey Jacobson. They thought I was going to be done, retired. By the grace of God, I came back and kind of helped the team. They should be happy about that, but it doesn't put me in a spot to where I'm a go-to guy anymore. I'm like a fourth option.
Q: Is that hard?
A: It is, because I still have a lot of basketball to give to a team that really needs it. I don't feel like I'm a role player yet. I thought when I was 35, 36, if I wanted to keep playing, come in and be a role player, I could defer.
Q: What do you see in your future?
A: I have three years left on my contract. I'm hoping to win a championship here and retire here in Phoenix. If it doesn't happen, I'll go somewhere. On this team, I'm the fourth option, so you're not going to see the Penny that's capable. Stephon (Marbury) handles the ball 99% of the time. He's so good, nobody can stop him. That takes me totally out of the fold. When I was in Orlando, I handled the ball, everything came through me. If that doesn't change, I'll be a lost name on this team as far as being one of the headline players in this league, because Amare (Stoudemire) has come of age. Shawn Marion and Stephon are the ones they are promoting here, so it doesn't look like there's a lot of room for me to be a 20-point scorer again. I have all the confidence in the world I could be at the level, but it's not going to be noticed when you have three other people being promoted over you.
Q: So what's up with Lil Penny these days?
A: He's been chilling. Nike made a decision to not have Lil Penny anymore. A lot of people loved that. If that ever came out again, people would take to it even more so.
USA Today
